Charfield railway station

51°37′41″N 2°23′59″W / 51.628051°N 2.399764°W / 51.628051; -2.399764Grid referenceST723922Platforms2Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryOriginal companyBristol and Gloucester RailwayPre-groupingMidland RailwayKey dates8 July 1844 (1844-07-08)Opened4 January 1965 (1965-01-04)Station closed to passengers6 September 1965 (1965-09-06)Station closed to goodsOfficial nameFORMER BOOKING HALL AND WAITING ROOM AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROADDesignated5 June 1984 (1984-06-05)Reference no.1114969^[1] Official nameFORMER STATIONMASTER'S HOUSE AT CHARFIELD STATION, STATION ROADDesignated5 June 1984 (1984-06-05)Reference no.1321194^[2]

v t e Bristol and Gloucester Railway
Legend
Gloucester–Newport line (SWR) to Newport Gloucester Birmingham & Gloucester Rly (MR) to Birmingham  M5  Haresfield Golden Valley line (GWR) to Swindon Stonehouse (Bristol Road) Stonehouse & Nailsworth Rly (MR) to Nailsworth/Stroud Stroudwater Navigation Frocester Cam & Dursley Coaley Junction Dursley & Midland Junction Rly (MR) to Dursley  M5  Berkeley Road Sharpness branch line (MR) to Sharpness  M5  Charfield Wickwar Wickwar Tunnel Thornbury branch line (MR) to Thornbury Yate Westerleigh Junction South Wales Main Line (GWR) to London Paddington Coalpit Heath Sidings Ram Hill Colliery Westerleigh Goods Depot  M4  Bristol Parkway Mangotsfield & Bath branch line (MR) to Bath South Wales Main Line (GWR) to Swansea Mangotsfield Goods line to Avonmouth docks Staple Hill Staple Hill Tunnel Filton Abbey Wood Fishponds Avonside Locomotive Works Clifton Extension Rly (GWR & MR) to Avonmouth Kingswood Junction River Frome Atlas Locomotive Works and collieries  M32  Stapleton Road Lawrence Hill Waste Depot Goods Depots Bristol St Philip's Bristol Harbour River Avon (from Bath) (GWR) Temple Meads Goods Depot Great Western Main Line to London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads Bridge over Victoria Street tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard Bristol Harbour Railway St Philip's Marsh depot River Avon (to the sea) Bristol & North Somerset Rly (GWR) Bristol and Exeter Railway (GWR) to Taunton and Exeter

Charfield railway station served the village of Charfield in South Gloucestershire, England. The station was on the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, originally a broad gauge line overseen by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but later taken over by the Midland Railway and converted to standard gauge.

History

Charfield station opened with the Bristol and Gloucester line on 8 July 1844 and had substantial Brunel-designed buildings on both platforms. There were sidings to the north and south, and those to the north were converted to loops to allow slow trains to be overtaken by faster trains.

In 1928, the Charfield railway disaster occurred when a southbound night-time mail train overran signals into a goods train manoeuvring into these sidings, and in the collision the mail train was diverted into the path of a northbound freight train. Gas from the mail train ignited and 15 people died in the blaze. According to some accounts, among them were two children whose identity was never established.^[3]

Passenger services were withdrawn from Charfield on 4 January 1965^[4] with the removal of stopping services on the Bristol to Gloucester line. Goods services were withdrawn on 6 September of the same year. The main station building and the station master's house remain, in residential use.^[5]

Proposed reopening

Services between Bristol and Birmingham pass through Charfield. There have been discussions about the viability of reopening the station. The costs would be shared between Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire councils since, although the station would be in South Gloucestershire, the nearby town of Wotton-under-Edge would be a principal beneficiary.

In February 2019, the West of England Combined Authority announced a £500,000 feasibility study into plans for two new bypasses and work to see whether Charfield is viable for reopening to passengers.^[6] In June 2019, a further £900,000 was allocated for the production of a full business case for the reopening of the station.^[7]

The January 2020 version of the Joint Local Transport Plan 4 (JLTP4, led by the West of England Combined Authority^[8]) proposed to deliver by 2023–2024 a "New station at Charfield funded through the WECA Investment Fund, to support housing growth".^[9]

In June 2020, Councillor Toby Savage, leader of South Gloucestershire Council, mentioned the possibility of re-opening Charfield station during an announcement of plans for enhanced services between Bristol and Gloucester.^[10]

A plan agreed by the West of England Combined Authority on 8 December 2020 set out projects that could potentially be delivered between 2020 and 2030, including the reopening of Charfield station.^[11]

A 12-week public consultation on the re-opening proposals was held between 19 October 2021 and 10 January 2022, with the new station proposed to open during Spring 2027.^[12]

Planning permission for the new station (South Gloucestershire Council, ref P22/05778/R3F) was granted in March 2023.

Services

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Wickwar Line open, station closed		Bristol and Gloucester Railway Midland Railway		Berkeley Road Line open, station closed
	Disused railways
Terminus		Sharpness Branch Line Midland Railway		Berkeley Line and station closed
	Proposed services
Yate		Great Western Railway MetroWest		Cam and Dursley

References